By Charles Igbo
The Arrest, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, of a team of Lawyers, hired by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to file its suit challenging the process and outcome of the Governorship Election held on 18th March, 2023, has sent shock waves across the State and beyond.
The Lawyers from the Chambers of Tuduru Ede, SAN, were arrested by the Police at the Bayview Hotel, Tombia Road, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt, Friday night. Also arrested were two support staff of the APC.
They lodged there, and were preparing their briefs when the Police swooped on them, arrested, detained them, and confiscated all their work documents, including papers ready for filing in Court.
While Tonye Cole, the Governorship Candidate of the APC expressed shock and vowed not to leave the Police Station where they were detained until they are released, their Principal, Tuduru Ede, SAN, said he had never seen such a situation before. He expressed disbelief and accused the Hotel Staff of compromising their stay in the hotel to, perhaps, the State Government.
“This is a rude awakening”, Cole said, when he spoke to Reporters Saturday morning.
He said: “I was woken up this morning with a frantic call, about 7.00am, that our Lawyers and support staff have been arrested and taken away from the hotel where they were lodged.
“By the time I rushed down to the hotel, they were already gone.
“I was told they were taken to the intelligence and Surveillance Unit in Ogbunabali.
“I, and the Party Agent and our lead Counsel went there, and we were kept for over an hour. We didn’t see them, only to be told that they’ve been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department.
“I have never heard of Lawyers preparing a petition that is time-bound, being arrested. More worrying is that all our evidence was taken away.
“Now, can we trust that evidence when we get it back. The Lawyers were writing their brief before they were taken away. Now, the opposition knows exactly what we want to argue. I am in shock.
“The arrest won’t stand. I am not leaving this place today until they are released.
“These are Lawyers legitimately preparing their petitions. We cannot go to the Tribunal and tell them we didn’t meet the date because our Lawyers were arrested.
“The Police cannot continue being used. I feel the Police are being used to scuttle us. We already have evidence of the Police being used in the hijack of electoral materials on election day. The Inspector General of Police must call them to order.
APC’s lead Counsel, Ede, SAN, whose three Lawyers were arrested described what happened as “unheard of. How can Police allow themselves to be used this way”, he asked.
He said the Police action was “A way of scuttling the petitions. They took away all the EC8 papers and copies of election results we have collated from the agents.
“We are asking that all the arrested persons be released. We believe our stay there was compromised by the staff of the hotel.”
At the time of filing Cole’s and Ede’s reaction, neither the Police nor the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, has issued any statement.
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